Dioscorea nummularia Lam.: The Primary Edible Yam of Western ...

In the Solomon Islands D. nUDmlularia is locally called "karausu" and 

"puutiko." Eight cultivars from Guadalcanal have been recorded as 'uvi matua', 

'uvi vatu', 'uvi chamba' , chavuli', 'kaipuchi " 'ngoti hila', 'ngoti tambu ni 

bela' and 'sambina'. These were largely found in the interior but with some in 

the west and at Longgu. Vines of these cultivars were generally many (10-20), 

with spines ranging from large and many to very few. Tubers varied in number and 

shape, some being round in cross-section, others square, generally deeply placed, 

although one cultivar was reported to produce shallow tubers. One cultivar produced 

small tubers within the first year but most required three or four years to 

produce a reasonable yield and most produced tubers with hard flesh although one 

cultivar typically had soft flesh and tubers rotted easily (Barrau, 1956; Tedder 

and Tedder, 1974). 

On Anuta, a Polynesian outlier island in the Solomon Islands, D. nummularia 

was mapped in central and eastern parts of agricultural zone III. It was called 

either "uporoi" or IITaumakoll, the former after Upolu, W. Samoa and the latter 

after a neigh-boring outlier. The tubers produced were illustrated as large. 

round and irregularly shaped. In contrast, D. alata and D. esculenta were mapped 

in only one area in zone VI with small plantS-and tubers (Yen and Gordon, 1973.) 

In Vanuatu, D. nummularia is called "pangoll and IIloopitiko", the latter being 

similar to the IIpuutiko" name used in the Solomon Islands. On Ponape, Federated 

states of Micronesia, D. flabellifolia Pro and Burk. reported in the literature to 

grow in the mountains and to be used during famine is most probably D. nummularia 

cultivar llkap nair" or "kapin-air". D. nummularia variety IIsepll reported from yap 

appears to have a corrugated leaf like D. bulbifera (Glassman, 1952; Sasuke, 1953; 

Barrau, 1956; personal observation.) -- 

In Fiji D. nummularia is called IIrauva (-dua)", "tivoli ll , "tikau" or "san 

shue ll in Cantonese, while in the Lau islands of eastern Fiji it is locally called 

"tchivoli", a name similar to one from the Solomon Islands. Generally it grows 

below 500 m elevation. It has been reported to be rare (less than 2%) in Suva 

home gardens as compared to 2-9% for D. alata, but in the Suva market it is definitely 

more important than D. alata. In 1975 and 1976 D. nummularia was 

recorded during 33 of the 35 market surveys with a mean abundance score of nearly 

3 out of a maximum of 4 (very abundant). Although it was available year-round, 

tubers were most abundant in the months April through November. One Saturday in 

November 1981 the senior author observed that yams in the Suva market were almost 

exclusively D. nummularia with cultivar IItivoli ll dominating. Only one Chinese 

merchant waS- selling D. alata "uvi" which was sprouting and spoiling. On 

Vanuabalavu island in the Lau group, wild "tivoli ll and IItikau ll yams were reported 

as common in the 1920s and 1030s, but have almost disappeared today due to 

extensive clearing of the forests (Barrau, 1956, 1961a; Thaman, 1976/1977, 1978a; 

Thaman and Ba, 1979; Smith, 1979; personal observations). 

In tonga cultivars "ufi fisi", IIngu ll and IItuaata" commonly found in cooperative 

yam gardens on Tongatapu may be D. nummularia but this species has not been 

reported from Vavau in northern Tonga (Prain and Burkill, 1959; Thaman, 1978b). 

"Ufi parai ll is the name given to D. nUDmlularia on Rarotonga and on Niue it is 

called by a similar name lIuhi palai".-- On the latter it has been reported to be 

scarce and to produce several long, slender, white tubers (Barrau, 1956). 

601

Data from market surveys conducted in Apia for the first week in each month 

of 1979 except January indicated that yams are only a minor cash crop in western 

Samoa. Each week total weight sold of the staple carbohydrates including taro, 

green bananas, Alocasia sp., breadfruit, yams and husked coconuts ranged from 

about 110 to 210 tonnes, whereas the maximum sale of yams reached only 0.3 tonnes 

in the two months August and December. Data for yams included both D. alata and 

D. nummularia but sale of the former is significant only in August during the 

cool, dry season when this species becomes dormant and sheds its leaves. At other 

times of the year D. alata is unpalatable and D. nummularia is the only species in 

the market. D. eSculenta (Lour.) Burk. "ufilei" is not marketed. It is now 

found only in-the driest Falealupo district on the western-most tip of Savaii. 

Most Samoans deride those from that district for eating the sweet tubers of 

"ufilei" since sweet tasting root crops such as sweet potato are generally disliked. 

Likewise E.. pentaphylla L. "pilita", also called "lena" on Tutuila, is 

rare (Pratt, 1911; Setchell, 1924; Christophersen, 1935; Parham, 1972; Economic 

Analysis and Planning Division, 1979a-d; Leuluai J. W., personal communication; 

personal observations). 

In American as well as western Samoa villages "palai" are normally planted in 

mounds and trellised on poles to trees 5-6 m away. Each family generally has no 

more than twenty or so plants of the different "palai" cultivars. Stones often 

are used to surround the mounds and coconut husks and mulch may cap the top as 

well. Whole corms with several tuber initials or sections of individual upper 

tubers may be planted with or without pre-sprouting. Because of the effort in 

digging the relatively long tubers, harvest is usually delayed until after two 

years. In lithic soils the corm tops may by that time begin to protrude from the 

ground. Yield data are not available but one "palai niu kini" plant harvested 

from a home garden produced a 4-branched tuber weighing 21.2 kg. It descended 63 

cm into the soil and the dried remnants of the previous years's 4-branched tuber 

was attached to the same corm. This indicates that D. nummelaria is not perennial 

as sometimes reported (Merrick, 1977; Martin and Degras, 1978; personal observations) 

• 

There is a Samoan legend concerning the "palai" (tivoli") yam in Fij 1. One 

of the numerous Sina married the king of Fiji. Her brother Pili went to visit her 

but hid in the bush being evidently doubtful of his brother-in-law's reception. 

He asked the birds and trees how he could arrange a meeting with his sister and 

the "palai" yam offered to send out one of his "tala" vines to Sina's door. As 

Sina came out, her foot caught in the vine and since at that time there was a 

shortage of food in Fiji, Sina followed along the vine to find the tuber. There 

she found her brother. Since "palai" yam is very long, Sina broke off only a 

piece of it an returned home. Every day she returned to meet her brother and 

broke off another piece of yam. As she had followed up (tuli) the broken-off 

tuber (matanau), the tuber was called "tuli matanau". Hence repeated attempts at 

meetings or consultations to effect unity is referred to as "tuli matanau, Ie ufi 

a sina" (Tuli matanau, the yam of Sina) (Hiroa, 1930). 

Acknowledgement is made of Dr. M. Asghar and Mr. J. Breen who reviewed the 

manuscript, and of Mr. I. Sagaga who performed dry matter analyses. 

603

Onwueme, I.C. The Tropical Tuber Crops. Wiley, Chichester. 1978, 1-234. 

Parham, B.E.V. Plants of Samoa. DSIR Info. Sere 85, 1972, 135-137. 

Prain, P. and Burkill, I.H. An account of the genus Dioscorea in the East. Ann. 

Rev. Bot. Gdn., Calcutta 14, 1959, 367-372 and 427-528. 

Pratt, G. Pratt's Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language. 1911, 241 and 

250. 

Sasuke, N. Breadfruit, yams and taros of Ponape Island. Proc. 7th Pac. Sci. 

Congr. 6, 1955, 159-170. 

Setchell, W.A. American Samoa. Dept. Marine Biol., Carnegie Inst., Wash., 20, 

1924, 77 and 106. 

Sivan, P. Evaluation of local yam (Dioscorea alata) varieties in Fiji. Fiji 

Agric. J. 42(2), 1980, 7-14. 

Smith, A.C. Flora Vitiensis Nova 1, 1979, 170-171. 

Spencer, J. E. Shifting cultivation in South East Asia. Univ. of Cal. Publ. 

Geogr. 19, 1966, 1-231. 

Tedder, M.M. and Tedder, J.L.O. Yams: a description of their cultivation on Guadalcanal 

in the Solomon Islands. S. Pac. Commission Tech. Pap. 169, 3 and 

72-73. 

Thaman, R. R. Urban agriculture and home gardening in Fij i: a direct road to 

development and independence. Address to Fiji Soc., 1978a, 1-22. 

Cooperative yam gardens: an adaptation of a traditional agricultural 

system to serve the needs of the developing Tongan market economy. Ch. 8 In: 

Fisk, E.K. (ed.) The Adaptation of Traditional Agriculture: Socioeconomic 

problems of urbanization. Australian Natl. Univ. Devel. Studies Centre 

Monograph 11, 1978b, 116-126. 

Plant resources of the Suva Municipal Market, Fij 1. Ethnomed. 4.5, 

1976/77, 25-61. 

and Ba. T. Energy needs and forest resources of small islands. 10th NZ 

Geogr. Conf. 1975, 198-202. 

Yen, D.E. Food crops. In: Ward, R.G. and Proctor, A. (eds.) South Pacific Agriculture: 

choices and constraints. 1979, 197-234. 

and Gordon, J. Anuta: a Polynesian outlier in the Solomon Islands. Pac. 

Anthrop. Recs. 21, 1973, 112, 140, 143 and 149. 

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Dioscorea nummularia Lam.: The Primary Edible Yam of Western ...

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